Page Sec1:21 - Labyrint 2013 - English Edition

Myths as an instrument of
power
There are also many examples of how the
contents of myths can be adapted to the
needs of those in power. When Snorre
Sturlason wrote Norway’s national epic
Heimskringla, it was very much to the ben-
efit of the royal family of the day that their
forefather Harald Hårfagre was portrayed
as the first king of a united Norway.
“It might very well be that the Earls of Lade
were more centrally placed in the power
struggle that concluded with the gathering
of Norway as one kingdom, but Harald
Hårfagre fitted neatly in Snorre’s narrative.
The contemporary kings could trace their
lineage straight back to both Hårfagre and
Saint Olav, and Hårfagre is, according to
­Heimskringla, a descendant of the Norse
gods. Thus the myths legitimate the power
of the king, who is also seen as a represent
of God himself,” says ­Kristiansen.
Getting rid of old myths is actually quite
hard, and promoters of early Christianity
were careful in relating the new religion to
the old.
“Snorre would have regarded the Norse
gods Tor and Odin more as historical
figures, and would have portrayed them
as subordinate to the Christian god. It
wasn’t too important to Snorre to distin-
guish ­between real or mythical characters,”
explains Kristiansen.
“Everything with a basis in reality had also
some sort of religious meaning, which
­meant that the heroes of the Viking age
were also connected to God even though
they came along long before Christianity
was introduced to the nation,” he said.
He explains that myths can develop both
at the top of the power pyramid, and down
among regular people. But for a myth to
work, it needs to resonate with the masses.
Myths that aren’t being retold will not live
long.
Myths in amodernworld
Today’s leaders also create myths about
themselves. In modern terms, we might
refer to it as image building. Totalitar-
ian leaders can create pretty outrageous
mythologies around their own personas,
like Kim Jong-Il, for example, the previous
leader of North Korea.
According to his official biography, Kim
Jong-Il learnt to walk when he was only
three weeks old, and started talking at
eight weeks. While he was in university he
supposedly authored 1500 books and six
operas.
“He created a kind of communist religion
around his own persona by construct-
ing these myths. He’s the only arbiter of
the eternal truth, and the only reason the
stories aren’t dismissed as utterly absurd,
is that North Korea is a completely closed
country,” ­Kristiansen points out.
But modern myths are also created in
Norway. The German occupation during
WorldWar II was exactly such a time of
upheaval where myths and national heroes
were made. And the myths from this time
continue to thrive among ­Norwegians of
today.
“For instance, look at the recent film about
Max Manus, a resistance hero. This can be
seen as a typical modern myth construc-
tion. Just because something is a myth,
doesn’t necessarily mean it is untrue. But
we go back in time searching for the most
coveted ideals we can build on, and thus
create a world based on the values we find
to be the most important”.
Source DavidMcNeill, Howmyths and lies created a na-
tion in thrall to its leader.The Independent, 20.12.2012
University of Tromsø – Labyrint E/13 ••• 21
Do you want to be a national hero? Then you should time
your accomplishment to coincide with a time of ideologi-
cal turmoil and the reconstruction of your nation. Roald
Amundsen did everything right when he reached the
South Pole as the first man ever, six years after Norway
gained its independence from Sweden. Photo: Lomen Bros
/ owner: Nasjonalbiblioteket, bldsa
The film about war hero Max Manus is an example of
modern myth construction. Photo: Erik Aavatsmark /
Filmkameratene AS